Harold Hutchison

Still a pretty solid pitcher. Lauer on the move is possible... or perhaps they shift Ashby to the pen for 2023, to solidify that.

Devanny flashed good numbers in 2019, then seemed to be readjusting when he jumped from Rookie ball to AA in 2021 after 2020 got wiped out. In 2022, his OPS was higher in Nashville (small sample) than Biloxi. Quite frankly, I could see him as a cheap RH 3B/SS depth option for the Crew - maybe even making a Luis Urias trade possible.

Mitchell can get away with hitting a lot on the ground - he's got speed, as we've seen through the minors. Mendez doesn't have speed, but could be a very good power hitter. Here's what Brewer Fanatic's prospect profile says: In this case, make Mendez do push-ups every time he hits the ball on the ground.

Mendez has a swing that generates a negative launch angle on average, and he's not a speed merchant, to say the least. Quero did well in Carolina, but so did Feliciano, who sputtered at the higher levels and eventually got the DFA. Still a long way to the majors, and who knows what might happen? It's the ghost of past catching prospects, really, that haunts Quero. Turang's got to show he can hit major-league pitching, or at least draw lots of walks. For the most part in his career, he has, but early 2021, with the jump to AA, he struggled a bit. I don't think Kolten Wong was traded for Abraham Toro to be the 2B, I think it was to clear the way for Turang.

Some Brewers prospects performed very well in 2022. Jackson Chourio and Jace Avina, for instance, have excelled. Other well-known prospects, though, have something to prove this year, as some big decisions are coming down the pike. So, what might some well-known prospects have to prove in 2023? Ethan Small - LHP Ethan Small dominated most of his minor league career. Then came 2022, where his ERA ballooned to a career-high 4.46, plus a 7.71 ERA in two major league starts. Before 2022, his highest ERA was 2.06 in Nashville during the 2021 season. He rebounded when shifted to the bullpen after he gave up 14 runs in 8.1 innings over two starts, but the Brewers were hoping for a rotation mainstay with a first-round pick. Small has to prove that the rough 2022 season in the rotation was a fluke and not the real Ethan Small. If he can't put it together in a major league rotation, he could still be very valuable in the bullpen (he is cost-controlled for several more seasons), but it won’t be what many Brewer fans hoped for after Small dominated minor league hitters. Tyler Black - IF/OF Tyler Black was a huge offensive asset when he was on the field. He proved he could be more than just a second baseman by seeing time in center field, third base, and left field between the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and the Glendale Sky Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League. Black’s problem, though, was he was only in 64 of Wisconsin’s 149 games and 17 of Glendale’s 28. In other words, he played in less than half of the possible games for the two teams due to injuries. Black will need to stay healthy and play more often in 2023 to prove he can be a major league caliber player. Hendry Mendez - OF Mendez was signed for $800,000 – a significant sum of cash equivalent to a mid-second-round pick. He’s become a physical specimen with some unreal OBP skills. That’s all well and good, but he only posted a .244 batting average and a .318 slugging percentage, and he didn’t exactly set the basepaths on fire (7-for-15 in stolen base attempts). Mendez isn't prone to missing the ball - he walks nearly as often as he strikes out - but struggling to put good wood on the ball in the lower minors often translates to increased problems as the competition improves in A+ and AA ball. He needs to prove that he can bash the ball a lot more than a .244 average and hit more than five homers in 105 games, or he may be a bench asset at best. Jeferson Quero - C After his 2022 season, it seems odd to think Quero has something to prove in 2023, but he does. Quero needs to prove he will warrant a 40-man roster spot in December. He moved up the ladder and split time between Carolina and Wisconsin in 2022, posting better offensive numbers at A+ than in full-season A ball. He’s a promising prospect defensively behind the plate. But so was Mario Feliciano, who ultimately ended up on waivers and claimed by Detroit. Feliciano never seemed to get back on track after the 2020 minor-league season was wiped out by COVID-19. Quero may not deal with a season lost to a pandemic, but he is going to have to shake off the ghost of prospects past. Brice Turang - IF Turang rebounded in 2022 after struggling a bit at the plate in 2021. He also could end up the Brewers’ Opening Day second baseman due to the trade of Kolten Wong this offseason. Turang will need to prove he can handle major league pitching, which may require patience from the Brewers. During his time in the minors, he has needed time to adjust after being promoted mid-season in 2019 and 2021. Turang has defense, on-base skills, and speed. One can do far worse, but any first-round pick comes with lofty expectations. Hedbert Perez - OF Another one-time highly-hyped signing, Hedbert Perez, has shown he can hit for power. That said, even in a promising 2021, his on-base skills were low. In 2022, he was hardly above the Uecker line, although he improved slightly over his 2021 campaign. That said, Perez is at risk of becoming an organizational-type player, given the emergence of Chourio, Jace Avina, Sal Frelick, Garrett Mitchell, and Joey Wiemer. Perez signed in 2019 and missed out on playing during the 2020 season due to the pandemic. That said, he’s still only 19 years old, and there’s plenty of time for him to develop. But he has to show he’s not just a two-for-three when it comes to being a three true outcome player. Robert Gasser - LHP Gasser has pitched well throughout his minor league career. That said, he is the only remaining player the Brewers received in the Josh Hader trade last August, and that means the weight falls on him to prove he was worth trading the best closer in baseball during a pennant race. He split time between Biloxi, where he dominated, and Nashville, where he struggled some. That said, 2022 was Gasser’s first full minor league season, and he’s still pretty young (23). But when a fan favorite is traded, the guys who come back have to prove it was worth the deal. View full article

Which Cohen would gladly write off for his taxes. Then again, if he gets the Mets a World Series championship...

And at this point right now, thanks to Steve Cohen, if the Brewers are to have any hope of keeping Woodruff/Adames/Burnes, they need to probably defer a lot of money to the out year. Burnes may not be keepable, but Adames and Woodruff might be,

While the Brewers face some very harsh realities regarding market size and payroll, they are not impossible to overcome. This team has already demonstrated that it has been able to adapt and overcome these challenges over the past five years. Can they continue to do so? How is this the case? Just look at the run from 2017 to the present, which saw four playoff appearances in six seasons and one game out of the playoffs in the other two. These runs help a small-market team like the Brewers keep a fanbase excited. The real question, of course, is, how do you make such a run last? 1. Good Drafting Seeds for the success of the 2017-2022 Brewers came as early as 2011 when the team drafted Jorge Lopez in the second round of the June draft. The 2012 draft saw Brent Suter and Tyrone Taylor picked, along with Mitch Haniger and Anthony Banda, who was dealt for Gerardo Parra. Parra was flipped for Zach Davies, who later was part of a deal that secured Luis Urias and Eric Lauer. Suter, a 31st-round pick, wasn’t the only draft steal. Brandon Woodruff was an 11th-round draft pick in 2014. Jordan Yamamoto, a key piece in the Yelich trade, was a 12th-round pick that year. Cooper Hummel, who the Brewers traded to rent Eduardo Escobar for the 2021 season, was an 18th-round pick in 2016. The Brewers will need to make excellent use of their farm system to have long-term success – taking advantage of cost-controlled players for bench and bullpen roles. 2. Smart Acquisitions As with the drafting and development, the Brewers will need to find hidden gems from other teams. Manny Pina, for instance, was a throw-in on the K-Rod trade, and he gave the Brewers a lot of help behind the plate and on offense. The Brewers made out like bandits in some trades – see the Adam Lind deal that brought Freddy Peralta to Milwaukee. But trades are not the only way the Brewers could land talented players. Jesus Aguilar was a waiver-wire pickup – and provided two perfect seasons in Milwaukee. The free agent market is also an excellent place to find gems. Not the big-money deals, but it’s amazing who can be found among the non-tendered, minor-league free agents and those not offered arbitration. Outside-the-box signings can be excellent bargains. Long looks at independent league teams, the Korean Baseball Organization, and Nippon Professional Baseball will be essential for the Brewers. Rather than spend big bucks on a veteran free agent, hiring a couple dozen more scouts may be a better approach, especially if the Brewers can pick up bargains. 3. Crucial Extensions Locking up Freddy Peralta and Aaron Ashby was an intelligent move. The former would be an ace on a third of major league teams, and the latter could be a solid presence in the rotation. Extending Christian Yelich was a similarly smart call, given his MVP-caliber seasons in 2018 and 2019. While his back issues affected his 2021 production, he improved in 2022 somewhat. Not every move is going to work perfectly for the organization but smart risks must still be taken from time to time. Similar decisions will come soon for Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Joey Wiemer, and Brice Turang. If these rookies and young players are willing to extend, the Brewers have a real shot. The real question now centers on whether the Brewers can extend one or more of Willy Adames, Corbin Burnes, and Brandon Woodruff. If at least one, or better yet, two, get done, the Brewers could be in business. 4. Finding Extra Revenue The Brewers are hosting some concerts at American Family Field – notably Pink this coming this August. The more of these, the better for the Brewers. But the Brewers could also try to market a bit more worldwide and build up some name recognition. Australia and Europe could be places for the Brewers to make their mark, particularly given ties to the former (Dave Nilsson) and the many German immigrants who helped start the city in the 19th century, not to mention the city’s large Polish community. Milwaukee County Stadium used to host football games, and doing the same at American Family Field could be an option to generate some additional revenue as well. We could even offer to host more basketball and hockey games, along with soccer matches. Expanding the Arctic Tailgate concept is another possibility – maybe even include tailgating in the lot for various away games (particularly the playoffs) so Brewers fans can gather. The Brewers face a harsh economic reality. That being said, they have adapted and overcome so far, and there are ways to maximize what money they already bring in and possibly even bring more money in. View full article

Brent Suter in a Brewers uniform would look really good about now...

Okay, a hypothetical from the 1988-1989 offseason... do you agree to a proposal from Atlanta to send LHP Tom Glavine and RHP John Smoltz to the Brewers for LHP Ted Higuera?

See how he fares at American Family Field in 2023, then make an offer in the 2023-2024 off-season.

Recent mega-deals for free agents like Carlos Correa, Trea Turner, Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom, and Dansby Swanson have left Brewers fans upset – not all for the same reason. Still, some are looking and wondering why the Brewers aren’t either signing free agents or extending players. The biggest and most obvious reason is the individual revenue streams of different baseball teams. The Brewers pulled in $269 million in revenue in 2021, according to Total Sportal. At first glance, it sounds like the Brewers could spend more than the $112 million and change Sportrac is projecting as the landing point of the 2023 payroll. But looks are a bit deceiving. Every ball club has large expenditures that aren't captured in a player payroll number. There’s paying the coaches, manager, trainers, front office staff, and the many people who make American Family Field (or Miller Park) work for 81 home games (plus, hopefully, post-season action). Scouts, the prospects in the minor leagues, the coaches and managers and trainers in the minors, the facility in Arizona for spring training… it all costs money. Suddenly, $269 million doesn’t seem like that much. The Los Angeles Dodgers' local television contract nets them roughly $250 million every season. Now, could you look at the Mets, who have been spending a lot of money? Correa (although that deal may be off due to a medical issue), Brandon Nimmo, and Justin Verlander this year, Francisco Lindor not too long ago… not to mention a hair over $31 million for Robinson Cano and James McCann, who aren’t even on the Mets’ roster any longer. Those are some big-time deals. That’s being done on the annual revenue of $302 million – so their Sportrac projection of a $326 million payroll in 2023 possibly puts them at a loss – before you even account for all the non-MLB payroll expenses a team will have in the course of a season. No owner can sustain such massive losses – even without the massive luxury tax bill the Mets will pay due to their league-high payroll in 2023. Sooner or later, Mets owner Steve Cohen will see the bill for this massive spending spree come due beyond those massive luxury tax payments the Mets already face. The fact is, an MLB team – or any professional sports team – is, first and foremost, a business that has to make those who own it money or, at the very least, break even financially over an extended period of time. Now, that gets easier when a team is in playoff and title contention, but every team will have a bad season or two at one point or another – even the Yankees and Dodgers have had their struggles at times. Both also enjoy the benefits of huge media markets - and outrageously lucrative television contracts in place - to fall back on when they occasionally need to retool. The Brewers, on the other hand, don’t have that kind of safety net when they mis-step. They have done well to maximize their revenue with a competitive team, even in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic (which cost them the revenues from in-person attendance at American Family Field). But the cold reality of the matter is that Brewers owner Mark Attanasio doesn’t have anywhere close to Steve Cohen's resources, either in market size or overall wealth. Given the developments in this off-season’s free-agent market, it may well be that even going full Bobby Bonilla will not be sufficient to keep Corbin Burnes in Milwaukee. Does this mean that the Brewers are doomed to be, for all intents and purposes, an AAAA team that develops stars for the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Red Sox (among a few others)? No, it doesn’t, but for Milwaukee to overcome having one of the smallest markets in Major League Baseball, it will take a lot of planning and a long-term strategy to remain competitive. Are the Brewers and General Manager Mark Arnold up to the task placed upon them by baseball's self-imposed economic structure? View full article

It should be six years if they were under 18, four if 18-20, and three for 21 and over. And extend minor-league free agency to eight years.

It's pretty clear the pandemic warped Feliciano's development, and to be frank, I'm of the opinion that maybe the Rule 5 draft should be discarded or only apply to players over a certain age.

True. That said, allow me to mention a couple other names from my piece on the underrated prospects: https://brewerfanatic.com/news-rumors/brewers-minor-league/overlooked-brewers-prospects-catcher-first-base-designated-hitter-r627/?do=getNewComment&d=1&id=627 Darrien Miller, who seems to be doing pretty good down under. Lots of doubles, hitting .280, and the OBP skills are there. Might be a good complement to Contreras/Quero starting in 2024-2025. Edgardo Ordonez also looks to be a solid option as well.

This is what I worry about with things like launch angle. It can screw up a potentially valuable player. Yeah, Hiura was homeless defensively, but if it hadn't been for the launch-angle junk, he might have been the answer at DH. He had his BABIP go up to .355 as opposed to .270 ish... I wonder if that was luck or maybe he went back somewhat to his line-drive type, his EV and hard hit percentages were his best since 2019. Big issue is strikeouts, and if he can put more balls in play...

In AAA, Turang and Frelick both held their own against left-handed pitching, according to the splits on Baseball-Reference. Mitchell was probably the least effective - if you think a .766 OPS is awful.

I think it could happen either way. Mitchell's been consistent in his career - about a .370 OBP, some serious speed, etc. Frelick is pretty similar. Both would provide excellent defense, and could be spelled by Tyrone Taylor against lefties. Wiemer's simply produced and has one of the highest offensive ceilings save for Chourio. If Winker does well, the Crew can flip him for some prospects. If he's struggling, they can DFA him and call Wiemer up. The future OF could very well be Frelick-Mitchell-Wiemer, with Taylor as 4th OF and Yelich as full-time DH.

If anything, I think the biggest deal the Brewers will make involving an OF will be the team trading Winker for someone 2-3 months in as Joey Wiemer forces the issue.

The Crew goes full Bobby Bonilla.